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County seeks input on subdividing tax-forfeited old elementary school property
Summary
County representatives asked Gaylord officials whether platting and auctioning the tax-forfeited old elementary school into smaller lots could improve marketability. City staff and council members raised concerns about zoning, utilities, demolition costs, parking and an unclear prospective use for the building.
County representatives and city staff spent the longest portion of the Aug. 7 Gaylord City Council meeting discussing a county proposal to plat and auction the tax-forfeited old elementary school property.
Steve (city staff) introduced John and Chris Christian (county representatives), who said the county currently holds custodianship of the property and is considering subdividing it into several lots before public auction to improve the chances of sale. The county representatives described a process intended to recoup assessments on the property under recent tax‑forfeiture law changes and said proceeds are now subject to a seven‑year lookback period tied to a recent state Supreme Court decision.
The county presenters said the auction and platting approach would allow the county to market smaller, potentially more marketable parcels — for example separating green space or parking areas from the main building — rather than offering the entire structure to a single buyer. They said some parcels (including a parking lot parcel) are already being moved forward to auction advertising.
City staff and multiple council members pressed for practical details. Council members asked how utilities and setbacks would be handled, who would pay demolition costs, and whether the county had assessed the cost of restoring separate sewer and water service to multiple parcels. One council member noted a demolition estimate could exceed $1 million and said splitting the building into parcels with common walls, separate utilities and parking would be difficult to make viable for buyers.
Steve said the city attorney had provided a letter outlining zoning and subdivision issues and advised caution about platting a property before a prospective use or developer is identified. Several council members suggested a pragmatic alternative: leave the primary structure intact for now, while attempting to split off discrete, marketable parcels (for example the parking lot or green space) and return a vacated street to the city to reduce complexity.
Councilmembers and county staff proposed forming a small subcommittee (including county tax‑forfeiture commissioners, a planning & zoning representative and one or two council members) to meet and hammer out options before returning to the full council. The parties agreed to pursue further coordination and to exchange written materials, including the city attorney’s letter outlining legal and utility challenges.
No formal action was taken; the discussion was advisory. County staff said the auction schedule for the parking lot parcel is progressing toward a September sale date under the new rules.
